Arsenic in Apple Juice

[jenrose66]

Did anybody watch the Dr. Oz show about arsenic a couple days ago. I'm watching it on my DVR right now and this is unreal. My kids love Juicy Juice and I have bought their apple juice many times, my family thinks its the best flavor.

To learn that it can have more arsenic than is safe for drinking water is scary. An also for Gerber to have more than 3x what is considered safe...it's Gerber. I wonder if I should stop buying their baby food.

I'm so tired of companies putting profits before people.

 

[Wall-E1]

I have some in my fridge right now.

 

[C.Ann]

If there was a real danger, wouldn't this be on the national news?

I'm really getting tired of our food supply no longer being safe.. Seems like every few days you hear of another recall on foods.. Just yesterday I was reading about the listeria poisonings in several states from cantaloupes..

I swear - if there was a pill I could take instead of eating every day, I would do it in a heart beat.. We need to eat - our children need to eat - and it's ridiculous that we constantly have to wonder if we're endangering them or if the pb/j sandwich we just fed them is going to land them in the hospital with food poisoning..

 

[deegack]

I take anything doctor oz says with a grain of salt

 

[Kellydelly]

I take anything doctor oz says with a grain of salt

agreed!

 

[Annette_VA]

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm271630.htm

September 9, 2011

Ms. Barbara Simon
Producer, The Dr. Oz Show

Mr. Terence Noonan
Supervising Producer, The Dr. Oz Show


VIA EMAIL and FAX


Ms. Simon:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is aware that EMSL Analytical, Inc. has obtained and tested 50 samples of retail apple juice for total arsenic content on behalf of Zoco Productions. It is our understanding that, based on these test results, you will assert during an upcoming episode of The Dr. Oz Show that apple juice is unsafe because of the amounts of total arsenic found in the samples.

We appreciate that you have made the results of these tests available to us. As we have previously advised you, the results from total arsenic tests CANNOT be used to determine whether a food is unsafe because of its arsenic content. We have explained to you that arsenic occurs naturally in many foods in both inorganic and organic forms and that only the inorganic forms of arsenic are toxic, depending on the amount. We have advised you that the test for total arsenic DOES NOT distinguish inorganic arsenic from organic arsenic.

The FDA has been aware of the potential for elevated levels of arsenic in fruit juices for many years and has been testing fruit juices for arsenic and other elemental contaminants as part of FDA’s toxic elements in foods program. The FDA typically tests juice samples for total arsenic first, because this test is rapid, accurate and cost effective. When total arsenic testing shows that a fruit juice sample has total arsenic in an amount greater than 23 parts per billion (ppb), we re-test the sample for its inorganic arsenic content. The vast majority of samples we have tested for total arsenic have less than 23 ppb. We consider the test results for inorganic arsenic on a case-by-case basis and take regulatory action as appropriate.

The analytical method for inorganic arsenic is much more complicated than the method for total arsenic. You can find the method that FDA uses to test for inorganic arsenic at this web address:

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ScienceResearch/LaboratoryMethods/ElementalAnalysisManualEAM/
ucm219640.htm
The FDA believes that it would be irresponsible and misleading for The Dr. Oz Show to suggest that apple juice contains unsafe amounts of arsenic based solely on tests for total arsenic. Should The Dr. Oz Show choose to suggest that apple juice is unsafe because of the amounts of total arsenic found by EMSL Analytical, Inc.’s testing, the FDA will post this letter on its website.



Sincerely,



/S/
Don L. Zink, Ph.D.
Senior Science Advisor
U.S. Food and Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

 

[java]

Which brands were the worst?

 

[ChiCat]

agreed!

Seriously that guy is such a weirdo, he totally gives me the creeps!

 

[TinkerbelleAbbysMom]

I also found this link:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/DietNutrition/28528

 

[Octoberbride03]

If there was a real danger, wouldn't this be on the national news?

I'm really getting tired of our food supply no longer being safe.. Seems like every few days you hear of another recall on foods.. Just yesterday I was reading about the listeria poisonings in several states from cantaloupes..

I swear - if there was a pill I could take instead of eating every day, I would do it in a heart beat.. We need to eat - our children need to eat - and it's ridiculous that we constantly have to wonder if we're endangering them or if the pb/j sandwich we just fed them is going to land them in the hospital with food poisoning..

It is now, thanks to the good Dr. OZ.

I always thought the problem with Apple juice was the high sugar content. I didn't go to medical school or become a heart surgeon but even I knew that Arsenic is a naturally occurring compound that we likely consume every day in some form or fashion.

Honestly, the effect of Dr OZ on me is always the same. Whatever he says to do immediately makes me want to do the opposite

 

[cassie]

If there was a real danger, wouldn't this be on the national news?


I swear - if there was a pill I could take instead of eating every day, I would do it in a heart beat.. We need to eat - our children need to eat - and it's ridiculous that we constantly have to wonder if we're endangering them or if the pb/j sandwich we just fed them is going to land them in the hospital with food poisoning..

I so agree C.Ann. Just take a pill a day.

 

[jdb in AZ]

If there was a real danger, wouldn't this be on the national news?I'm really getting tired of our food supply no longer being safe.. Seems like every few days you hear of another recall on foods.. Just yesterday I was reading about the listeria poisonings in several states from cantaloupes..

I swear - if there was a pill I could take instead of eating every day, I would do it in a heart beat.. We need to eat - our children need to eat - and it's ridiculous that we constantly have to wonder if we're endangering them or if the pb/j sandwich we just fed them is going to land them in the hospital with food poisoning..

Actually, it was on NBC tonight and they said the FDA has determined that the apple juice is safe.

 

[Uncle Remus]

Yeah, he's real worried about it:

Oz acknowledged that “no children are dying from acute lethal arsenic poisoning,” stating instead that his concerns were about the long-term effect of arsenic exposure.

Still, Besser said Oz was implying to parents that drinking apple juice poses a risk to kids’ health.

“You have informed parents they are poisoning their children,” he said, a charge that Oz denied.

“We just want to have the conversation, and we’ve been trying to make this conversation happen,” Oz said.

He also added, “I would not take apple juice out of my kids’ containers now.”

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2011/09/15/dr-besser-vs-dr-oz-apple-juice-showdown-on-gma/

 

[Baileymouse]

Media sensationalism during sweeps, right? Dr. Oz is not above that. He has come out on the wrong side of many issues, and this is one of them. There's a huge difference between organic and inorganic arsenic.

He was called on this by the FDA, by other doctors, etc.

He was always so anti-weight loss surgery, and then when he trumpeted it, he chose the lap-band - the surgery with the highest failure and reoperation rate. I wonder if allergan paid him to endorse it.

Seriously, anything he or any of the other Oprah-sanctioned people do, I ignore.

 

[hambirg]

Which brands were the worst?

From what I understand it is juice made from imported apples (or imported juice).

Here is a link to the Dr. Oz results:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-oz-investigates-arsenic-apple-juice

ETA- I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss this. Arsenic has many forms, and yes some of them are quickly metabolized by the body and are not harmful, like the kind in fish and mushrooms. But the FDA makes it sound like ALL organic forms or all naturally occurring arsenic is safe at any level, and that's simply not true. Lewisite is an arsine and it was used in chemical warfare. So no, sorry FDA not ALL organic arsenic is safe. Of course Dr. Oz might be fear mongering a bit. But I think it would be prudent to find out first exactly what forms of arsenic we are talking about, before we dismiss it just because it was a total arsenic test. We shouldn't be assuming it's toxic, but we also shouldn't be assuming it's not.

 

[Octoberbride03]

Media sensationalism during sweeps, right? Dr. Oz is not above that. He has come out on the wrong side of many issues, and this is one of them. There's a huge difference between organic and inorganic arsenic.

He was called on this by the FDA, by other doctors, etc.

He was always so anti-weight loss surgery, and then when he trumpeted it, he chose the lap-band - the surgery with the highest failure and reoperation rate. I wonder if allergan paid him to endorse it.

Seriously, anything he or any of the other Oprah-sanctioned people do, I ignore.

Its early for sweeps yet, but hey its premiere week for the talk shows

I know...........same thing.

Oprah has a talent for gifting shows to people i cannot stand. Its amazing, truly.

 

[cornflake]

I don't know what it'd matter where the apples came from as I'd guess it's coming from the seeds as peach pits contain a cyanide compound, iirc.

Agree the problem with apple juice isn't likely arsenic but that it's pure sugar water with no real nutrients, heh.

 

[shortbun]

Gotta say I'm really glad I heeded my pediatrician's warning and used white grape juice diluted with spring water for my son. Apples have to be soooo concentrated to get juice and apple seeds contain arsenic too. We use organic fruits and local as often as humanly possible for the pesticides that are used so early in the growing of fruits so are IN the fruit, not just ON it. I do the same thing with veggies, can and freeze locals and buy organic from Whole Foods when I can't get local. There's just too much risk in pesticides.

 

[Coconut36]

I take anything doctor oz says with a grain of salt

Agreed...I will go one further and say I put no stock in anything that comes out of his mouth. He is trying to generate ratings not be an actual Dr. I have no concerns.

 

[hambirg]

I don't know what it'd matter where the apples came from as I'd guess it's coming from the seeds as peach pits contain a cyanide compound, iirc.

Agree the problem with apple juice isn't likely arsenic but that it's pure sugar water with no real nutrients, heh.

It may not, but other countries don't have the same laws we do. I know Chilean grapes are suppose to be one of the worst as far as pesticide residue.